New stadium? Flush with cash? Ok, now you're gettin sued. The New York Civil Liberties Union is suing the NY Yankees, NYPD, 2 police officers, the City of New York and more on behalf of 30 year old Yankees' fan Bradford Campeau-Laurion, who claims he was "...forcibly restrained and ejected him from Yankee Stadium after he tried to walk past an officer during the playing of “God Bless America.”
A bit heavy handed ya think? Here's his story from the press release (see also the video at the bottom):
Campeau-Laurion quietly watched the game, ate a bag of peanuts and drank two beers. He decided to use the restroom at the start of the seventh-inning stretch - a period when fans often choose to use the restroom. He got up and made his way down the aisle as “God Bless America” began playing. A police officer blocked his path and indicated that he could not leave during the song. Campeau-Laurion explained that he needed to use the restroom and was not concerned about “God Bless America.” Then he attempted to walk past the officer.
Before Campeau-Laurion could take a step, the police officer grabbed his right arm and twisted it behind his back. A second officer twisted Campeau-Laurion’s left arm behind his back, and the two officers then marched him down several ramps to the stadium’s exit with his arms pinned behind his back. The officers refused to ease their grip, even though Campeau-Laurion was not resisting them.
The encounter ended with one of the officers telling Campeau-Laurion to leave the country if he didn’t like it.
I do like that last line to leave the country if he didn't like it. Even if it were true, I am not sure why the Yankee's are really included in this except for their deep pockets, unless they had given instructions to all security personal to become the personal defenders of patriotism and not let anyone leave their seats during the 7th inning stretch. Yea, as crazy as little Steinbrenner is i doubt that too. Sounds to me like some rouge agent going a little overboard there and the Yankees, as evil as they are, are just caught up in the wash.
Although, ya never know...right? Either way, its great news for me because I am a fan of a bunch of teams that have had little sustained success in any sport (ie: all DC teams) so anytime someone can try to knock one of the big boys down a peg or two somehow, I am all for it. Hell to the yeah. God bless America indeed.
Want more info about it? Here's a video with the "victim" talkin about why he's doing it all
From NYCLU's website
5 comments:
Apparently, the Yankees DO have a "no-movement" policy during the song, which surprises me:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/10/sports/baseball/10stadium.html?_r=1
I'd have agreed that the Yankees shouldn't be included before I found that out, but now? The victim's got a point.
the yankees are named in the lawsuit because they DO instruct the police and their staff to keep people from leaving during god bless america. this has happened before and will continue to happen because bloomberg has a hard on for the yanks.
I hope this guy receives a hefty settlement from the Yankees.
If no other team has such restrictions -- especially the Mets, who are only a few miles away -- then Steinbrenner's increasingly feeble mind can't make them.
MLB front office should step in.
Do they want people to pee or vomit in the aisles?
Stupid rouge agents. They're probably red in the face for this whole thing.
See what I did there?
Thats the crappy thing about spell check, it never finds that rouge/rogue thing. Interesting about the "no-movment" policy during the song, I guess baby Steinbrenner is just as crazy as I thought!
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